xbay's thread of grading the Mavs gave me an idea to have a thread for each division, where we all give our views on what we think of each team in that division, going by the moves made thus far and how each team is looking.

We'll start with our division, the Pacific:

LA Lakers - The Champions.This team is in limbo a bit with whether they'll resign Odom or not, but right now, they may have improved, maybe not,with the addition of Artest, while losing Ariza. Artest can improve them quite a bit or hinder them a bit also, depends on his attitude and actions. He has great talent and his defensive ability can be very valuable to his team.

Reckon they have improved with the relative swap of Ariza for Artest, but don't think they'll keep Odom, so I think they have gone backwards a bit. They still have a good team and the best coach ever and could go all the way again. Bynum, if Odom is not resigned, becomes a huge factor, as he must be consistent and play big minutes.

Rank #1 in division

Phoenix Suns- This team is transitioning and may make other big moves, like trading Amare. As they stand, they are still a very good team that will likely make the playoffs, at least be on the fringe again.

Replacing Shaq is the biggest thing right now, unless one of their bench bigs rises to be a very productive starter. Maybe one of Amundson or Lopez can be that guy, but unlikely.

This team is falling, but if they keep Amare they won't fall that much yet.

Rank #2

LA Clippers - This team has been the laughing stock most years, but I really think they can do well and have a remote possibly make the playoffs this season. They got Griffin with the first pick and he looks like he'll do pretty well and fit in well on the Clips roster, especially as how ZRandolph has been traded, thus making Griffin the starting PF.

If the Clips get Iverson, they will be less then what they could be, as the have enough scorers and don't need a great scorer and demander of the basketball. Gordon and Thornton should only improve and score more themselves and Griffin will score some as well.

Baron is the key, as with every team he has been on, as he is the PG and a top 5 one he could be again. If he is what he was last season, Clips are as bad as they were last season, but if he gets back to what he was his last two seasons in Oakland, they become playoff caliber.

The other big key to this team is injuries, especially to bigs Camby and Kaman. Those two are very valuable as they represent most of the defense on the Clips.

Reckon they'll be pretty good, win about 35-40 games and maybe make the playoffs.

Rank #3 in a real bad division

GS Warriors- The hardest team to rate in the division, if not the nba. Not sure what effect on winning the injuries to many of the main players had last season, especially how the young players stepped up and did well with the opportunity they got. With no more changes, the team still could be a playoff team.

The biggest factor is Nelson and how he uses his players. AR will improve much,but whether he is used alot, like he should be, is the thing. Played by performance, AR will be a big factor for the team, probably the main player to watch.

For me, it will be interesting to see how Monta performs and how Curry performs also, but it is how they perform together that will be a big thing. As a backcourt, they are pretty small and weak in statureand weak defensively. They are not a viable backcourt I think, as they will have to outscore their opposing backcourt to be an asset and the team needs to share the ball around, especially with AR, SJack, Azu and Maggette being capable scorers.

The team has much talent, but much of that talent unproven and not properly used. If little injuries, we will see exactly what this roster can do and I don't think they'll do that well. Maybe the team will make the playoffs,but the chances are fairly small I think.

Rank #4

Sacramento Kings - A pathetic team right now if I do say so. Just strange to see a team that was run well and a championship caliber one fall so fast and hard and not looking like they will get up soon. They drafted a combo guard who doesn't really solve their need for a proper PG. They haven't added any player that dramatically improves them. Quite yuk

Apparently, Kuptchak is upset that Odom and his reps haven't responded to their 3 year/$27 mil offer. Odom said he wanted a 5 year/$50 mil deal. I think they repeat if they bring back Odom, if not... then they're up in the air.

The Suns... their record will be low, too. The loss of Shaq is huge, because now they shift Amare back to center. I still think Lopez still needs to grow more(IMO, it was a mistake he even came out). The addition of Frye is solid, and bringing back Grant Hill was a MUST in order for them to stay in some type of consideration. Nash is getting old, and he won't be playing significant amount of minutes all the time, anymore. The toss up with this team is their bench. Will the reserves give the starters enough time to rest and still contribute to the team?

Clippers... well, they have a nice balance of veterans and young guns. But you hit the nail on it, the X factor and what decides where the Clippers go is Baron Davis. Will he stay healthy? Will he return to form? Once this team gets hit with injuries, though, it's over.

Warriors... very hard to predict. Like you said, there are two sides of the coin. Nelson MUST continue to let his players grow and get a better understanding of the game. Curry, Randolph... those kids need time. Monta has this whole season to prove everyone that this is HIS team. I don't need to say much about them since we use a whole forum to talk about them.

Kings... very young still, new coach. They have nice young pieces in Hawes, Evans, Martin, and Garcia. They're not a threat at all, but they could be in a few years once everyone is all grown up. Point guard is still a huge question mark.

# 1- Lakers need Odom bad to be over the top, its a most to sign the guy to be the sure contender for the finals as other top teams are piling up with talent to compete. Even with Odom the top teams all improved, Spurs, Celtics come back healthy, Cavs get Shaq. It won't be easier this time around but expect the Lakers to still be near the top. Odom will get them more wins, and is a good fit, its a most to retain the guy.

#2 The suns, although Nash is getting older the guy still has it, I expect the Suns to be better than last year, the signing of Shaq was a huge mistake. Amare gets to be the main guy again, the problem with this team is the bench, and age.

# 3. A Healthy, motivated Baron is what will carry this team. If he comes to play the Clips could make some noise, Griffin is a beast and will make immediate impact, front line looks solid with Kaman, Camby and Deandre all who could do the dirty work. Eric Gordon showed up last year and is a bull-dog, but with all that said this team is missing some-thing just can't put my finger on it.

# 4. The Warriors a young team, players coming back healthy, majority proven to the coach what they are capable of doing. Should see alot of improvement from the team. The team can be solid. It all needs to come together.

#5. The Queens-Evans is a beast and a great pick up for them, down the line the queens will be ok, but for now its another lottery year, just don't have enough pieces to compete at the moment.

#1 - Lakers: Artest is a BIG improvemetn over last year, even if they lose Odom. Of course it'd be better to keep him, but even in the case they lose him, I think they're better this year. It won't be easy to defeat the current champs.

#2 - Suns: Still lots of talent on that roster. If Amare stays healthy for the full season, I think they'll make the playoffs. If not, it will be pretty similar to last year. Far from a contender, tho.

#3 - Clippers/Warriors: Both teams have talent. I think LAC has a more balanced roster, but we have the depth they lack. And LAC has one of the few coaches worse than ours at the moment. So... don't know. It may go either way.

#5 - Kings: Still a work in progress. I like Evans, but I'm not sure if he's a PG. Martin is their own Monta, a scorer and not much else. And they have some good young talent, like Jason Thompson. But, in any case, they still have a long way to go before they're ready for anything else than close the division standings.

migya wrote:xbay's thread of grading the Mavs gave me an idea to have a thread for each division, where we all give our views on what we think of each team in that division, going by the moves made thus far and how each team is looking.

We'll start with our division, the Pacific:

LA Lakers - The Champions.This team is in limbo a bit with whether they'll resign Odom or not, but right now, they may have improved, maybe not,with the addition of Artest, while losing Ariza. Artest can improve them quite a bit or hinder them a bit also, depends on his attitude and actions. He has great talent and his defensive ability can be very valuable to his team.

Reckon they have improved with the relative swap of Ariza for Artest, but don't think they'll keep Odom, so I think they have gone backwards a bit. They still have a good team and the best coach ever and could go all the way again. Bynum, if Odom is not resigned, becomes a huge factor, as he must be consistent and play big minutes.

Rank #1 in division

Phoenix Suns- This team is transitioning and may make other big moves, like trading Amare. As they stand, they are still a very good team that will likely make the playoffs, at least be on the fringe again.

Replacing Shaq is the biggest thing right now, unless one of their bench bigs rises to be a very productive starter. Maybe one of Amundson or Lopez can be that guy, but unlikely.

This team is falling, but if they keep Amare they won't fall that much yet.

Rank #2

LA Clippers - This team has been the laughing stock most years, but I really think they can do well and have a remote possibly make the playoffs this season. They got Griffin with the first pick and he looks like he'll do pretty well and fit in well on the Clips roster, especially as how ZRandolph has been traded, thus making Griffin the starting PF.

If the Clips get Iverson, they will be less then what they could be, as the have enough scorers and don't need a great scorer and demander of the basketball. Gordon and Thornton should only improve and score more themselves and Griffin will score some as well.

Baron is the key, as with every team he has been on, as he is the PG and a top 5 one he could be again. If he is what he was last season, Clips are as bad as they were last season, but if he gets back to what he was his last two seasons in Oakland, they become playoff caliber.

The other big key to this team is injuries, especially to bigs Camby and Kaman. Those two are very valuable as they represent most of the defense on the Clips.

Reckon they'll be pretty good, win about 35-40 games and maybe make the playoffs.

Rank #3 in a real bad division

GS Warriors- The hardest team to rate in the division, if not the nba. Not sure what effect on winning the injuries to many of the main players had last season, especially how the young players stepped up and did well with the opportunity they got. With no more changes, the team still could be a playoff team.

The biggest factor is Nelson and how he uses his players. AR will improve much,but whether he is used alot, like he should be, is the thing. Played by performance, AR will be a big factor for the team, probably the main player to watch.

For me, it will be interesting to see how Monta performs and how Curry performs also, but it is how they perform together that will be a big thing. As a backcourt, they are pretty small and weak in statureand weak defensively. They are not a viable backcourt I think, as they will have to outscore their opposing backcourt to be an asset and the team needs to share the ball around, especially with AR, SJack, Azu and Maggette being capable scorers.

The team has much talent, but much of that talent unproven and not properly used. If little injuries, we will see exactly what this roster can do and I don't think they'll do that well. Maybe the team will make the playoffs,but the chances are fairly small I think.

Rank #4

Sacramento Kings - A pathetic team right now if I do say so. Just strange to see a team that was run well and a championship caliber one fall so fast and hard and not looking like they will get up soon. They drafted a combo guard who doesn't really solve their need for a proper PG. They haven't added any player that dramatically improves them. Quite yuk

Rank Last in division

good analysis migga..i have clips at #3 with a chance to catch the suns...i got the dubs and queens dukin it out for last place....